Bayshore Bikeway limits Barrio Logan parking

For decades, residents and businesses in Barrio Logan have had a mutually dependent relationship, with businesses relying on residents for talent and residents relying on businesses for good jobs. Today they stand united by concerns over a project that is proposed for this community that will affect residents and employees who work at shipyards and local businesses.

The Bayshore Bikeway aims to construct a designated bike path around San Diego Bay for recreational cyclists, a 2.5-mile portion of which will run through the industrial corridor in Barrio Logan. This “outsiders” vision would displace necessary parking spaces in proximity to waterfront job sites. Our already parking-saturated community cannot accommodate such a blow to our quality of life.

A new study commissioned by the port shows the Bayshore Bikeway, as currently envisioned for Barrio Logan, will eliminate hundreds of public and private parking spaces that are used daily by shipyard employees, subcontractors and the U.S. Navy. More than 700 parking spots would be removed along and around Harbor Drive to make room for a 12-foot-wide bike path and two additional five-foot bike lanes on the street.

Barrio Logan has a long history of parking shortages. Whenever parking is insufficient here, waterfront employees are forced to park on residential streets, leaving smaller business employees and families with little or no place to park. This problem has been minimized somewhat by residents and industry working together to designate a special parking permit area, but there is no room for further parking loss.

By limiting the number of people who can park in Barrio Logan, this plan will limit the number of people who can work in Barrio Logan, with great consequences for the community and one of San Diego’s key economic engines. The waterfront is home to a thriving shipbuilding and ship repair industry that brings much-needed jobs for working families. According to an economic impact study by the San Diego Military Advisory Council, military spending in San Diego accounts for $30.5 billion and more than 350,000 jobs in our region. More than $1.8 billion of that spending is on shipbuilding and repair. Secure, accessible and free parking for employees is essential to running a stable operation that can remain competitive and efficiently produce and repair ships for our U.S. Navy and commercial customers.

For years, Barrio Logan community leaders have expressed the need for more parking. The time has come for decision-makers to act. There is simply not enough parking right now to serve the needs of residents and workers. For this reason, any expansion of the Bayshore Bikeway into Barrio Logan must involve adding funding for major surface lot parking instead of eliminating precious parking resources.

A parking garage may be another option, but costs need to be considered. A port-commissioned study on the feasibility of building a parking garage in Barrio Logan estimates that it could cost as much as $120 million. If this scenario became a reality, blue-collar employees who can least afford it will end up spending hundreds of dollars per month, thousands per year, to pay for parking that is free today. This is money that otherwise would be spent on their children, their homes and in the community.